


Chasing One's Birthright

by ParadoxProphet



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, F/M, Heavy Angst, Hoshido | Birthright Route, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 09:57:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18466612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParadoxProphet/pseuds/ParadoxProphet
Summary: A wolfskin sets out to find her people, unaware of the fate that befalls her and the one she falls in love with.





	Chasing One's Birthright

**Author's Note:**

> Man, the first fic I make for this ship and it's for the one route they can't be happy in. Ain't I a fun person?

Katrina stood in front of the wolfskin pack, not standing down despite the danger she was putting herself in. She knew what she was getting into when she left her village home and made her way up Mt. Garou, but she wanted to join her people and live as a wolfskin. She had to do this. They looked at her with suspicion, no doubt smelling human from her clothes and being confused. She looked like one of them, but she smelled like the humans. She already knew from their smell that she was the odd one out. She wasn't about to back down though.

"My name is Katrina!" she announced, griping onto the beaststone she wore around her neck. "Who is the leader of this pack? I must speak with them!"

There were murmurs coming from the group in front of her, though she couldn't understand what they were saying. She saw someone step away, hopefully granting her request and bringing the leader to her. The remainder of the group continued to stare her down, weary of her intentions. Katrina continued to stay strong, knowing that one wrong move could mean her death.

A new face stepped forward from the crowd. He was a scruffy looking wolfskin with white and black hair, and a scar on his cheek. This must be the leader. He approached her with a smirk on his face. "Heard someone was asking for me, guessing that's you?" he asked, giving her a sniff. "You're a wolfskin, but you smell like a human. Ain't that strange. Care to explain why?"

Katrina took a deep breath, she'd been preparing herself for this. "My wolfskin parents were killed when I was young. A human couple took me in when they found me and my dying father. I've been raised in a Nohrian village ever since." She heard some laughter from the on-lookers. Even the man in front of her seemed to snicker. She expected this though.

"So what's a housebroken girl like you doing all the way out here?" The leader asked. "Shouldn't you be back in your cozy little home?"

Katrina stared him straight in the eyes, her conviction clear as she spoke. "I came to live among the wolfskin! To learn the ways of my people!" The laughter grew from the crowd.

"And what makes you think you can handle it out here?" The leader asked, staring her down and making her feel small. "We don't live the cushy lives you did down with the humans. In fact, how can I trust you to be a wolfskin like you said? Humans really want our fur, and you could be wearing that to trick me!"

Katrina sighed, She knew this could happen. "I have my mother's beaststone with me," she said, showing the stone dangling from around her neck. "If you need proof that I'm the real thing, I can just use this to transform myself, can't I? And I felt the need to come here, to join the rest of you. Something inside me said I needed to leave my old life behind. So I made my way up here."

The two of them stared at each other's eyes, while whispers came from the others. She could hear them this time, hear the disbelief at her story and that she's tricking them. But she knew what she had to do here. She'd fight this man if that's what it took to prove she was worthy of-

"Alright, I believe you!"

Wait, what?

The man was grinning at her, and his tail seemed to be wagging. Was this really happening? "You do?" she asked.

"Yeah, no way someone would come all this way and face me down like that if they were lying!" he said. "My name's Keaton, I run things around here! And if I think you're trustworthy, then that's that! What's your name?"

Katrina was confused, but decided not to question it. "It's Katrina."

"Katrina, huh? Nice to meet you! Welcome to the pack! I have a feeling we're gonna be best friends!" Keaton grabbed her hand and began leading her to the place they called home.

She smiled, her own tail wagging as well. "Nice to meet you too."

\----------------------------------------------

It was hard for Katrina to fit in at first, though she'd expected this. She knew nothing of the wolfskin ways, aside from what few behaviors she'd had naturally. So it was no surprise that most of the other wolfskin didn't accept her at first. The others would look at her strangely, even after the human scent went away. They wouldn't interact with her, or even acknowledge her sometimes. There were times she felt like giving up and just going back home to her village, but there was one person who kept her from acting on those thoughts.

Keaton.

The wolfskin leader had taken to her quickly, and was eager to teach her the ways of their people. Even when she felt like giving up, he was there to encourage her and keep her going, always ready to pick her up when she fell. He'd even offered her to stay with him, an offer she hesitantly but happily accepted. He was always standing up for her, threatening the others who dared to mock her. She wasn't used to such kindness, having been an outcast in her old village. But seeing someone willingly stand up for her without hesitation made her happy. Keaton made her happy.

With all the lessons he was giving her over the past weeks, it was no surprise that they began to get closer. It wasn't long before she began to feel her heart pound wildly in her chest whenever he was near. And it wasn't long before both of them got flustered around each other. And it wasn't long before she realized she needed to tell him about this.

"Hey, Keaton? I need to tell you something..." she said, approaching him in their shared home.

Keaton stiffened up. "Uh, okay. What's up?"

Katrina took a deep breath, she'd never been in this situation before. Her tail fell flat beneath her legs. "Look, I know I'm not the best wolfskin, hell there's still a whole lot I don't get and I'm not exactly popular around here," she explained. "But despite all that, you're nice to me. And I thought I just liked you because you're so nice to me, but I think things are different now.

"I don't just like you, I think I really like you. And um, well, I think I want to be more than friends? But I don't know if that's even a thing that we do, or if you'd even want to be with me, but I needed to get this off my chest because I don't want things to keep feeling awkward and I probably sound like an idiot at this point-"

"Shut up." Without her realizing it, Keaton had walked up to her and was holding her in his arms. He placed a hand behind her head and began kissing her. It was sloppy, unfocused, but it felt wonderful. Both of their tails began wagging as Katrina kissed back and wrapped her arms around him.

The two stayed like that for a while, breaking apart and feeling out of breath. Both of them were red in the face, with Keaton looking away nervously. "Look, I'm not good at this stuff. I didn't know what else to do with you talking non-stop. I just, I like you too! You're funny and pretty and nice and all sorts of things! You make me happy and I don't care what anyone else thinks! You mean more to me than my treasures! I want you to stay with me. Will you marry me Katrina?"

Katrina was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. "I mean, yes. Of course I'll marry you," she finally managed to say. "Do I really mean more to you than your treasures?"

"Well yeah, you're special," Keaton said, looking back at her with a smile. "There's no other wolfskin like you after all! And I think that's a good thing!"

Katrina ran back to Keaton, trapping him in her embrace as she began crying into his chest.

"Hey! What the hell? Why're you crying? I thought you wanted to marry me?" Keaton asked, unsure of what to do and worried he'd done something wrong. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her.

"I'm crying because I'm happy," she said, looking up at him. "I just can't help but cry after hearing all that. You've made me so happy, Keaton! I can't wait to get married!"

Keaton smiled and held her closer. "I mean, I guess I'm excited for it too," he said, trying to hide his feelings after spilling them out like that, though it didn't last very long as his tail started wagging again and he broke out into a huge grin. "But I promise you, I'm gonna make you the happiest woman ever! I'll make you smile, and we'll have a family, and I promise that we'll be happy from now on! Nothing's ever gonna get in the way of our love, not as long as I'm standing!"

\-------------------------------------------

Keaton fell to the ground, his blood flying through the air before landing on Katrina. She was frozen there, staring at the blood on her shaking hands. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be. Things weren't supposed to happen this way!

"Ugh... Why did you have to come here..." Keaton muttered, turning back from his wolf form as he laid there dying.

Katrina fell to her knees in front of him, tears falling onto his body. "K...Keaton? What h...happened to...you?" she stammered, wanting to hold him in her arms but too shocked to try. She feared he would crumble if she touched him, so her arms just hovered there.

Keaton struggled to look up at her, trying to give her a smile. "Sorry Katrina... I can't make you happy anymore... Dammit, I'm a terrible husband, aren't I?"

"No...don't say that..." Katrina said, sobs mixing with her words. "Y-You promised we'd be h-happy! You can't d-die here! Y-You can't!" She clutched her head, desperately trying to reject the reality in front of her. The blood smeared across her face as she began hyperventilating.

"I love you...Katrina..." Keaton muttered, placing his blood soaked hand on her face in an attempt to comfort her. "I'm sorry I...can't keep my promise..." His eyes struggled to stay open, not looking away from Katrina once. "Get out...of here... I don't...want you to..." His hand fell from her cheek, his final breath escaping him. He was dead.

Why? Why did this have to happen? Keaton shouldn't be dead! Her breathing got faster as she looked at the battlefield in front of her. The Hoshidans. This was all their fault. If the Hoshidan army hadn't come through here then Keaton would still be alive. If they hadn't crossed through the mountain no one would be dead now. If that prince hadn't struck down Keaton with his sword, she could live happily with her husband. But no, the Hoshidans did all this. She hadn't even cared about the war between the two countries and yet they brought it here. Everyone was dead because of the Hoshidans.

Katrina's sadness turned into rage as her vision turned red. They'd pay for this. The Hoshidans would pay for ever coming here! She'd kill them all if she had to!

She let out a pained scream as she grabbed her beaststone and transformed. She was going to kill every Hoshidan she could find until none of them remained! They wouldn't get away with Keaton's death! Keaton's final words were lost to her in her blind rage and blood-lust. She tore apart as many soldiers as she could, their blood covering her fur. She had to kill them. She had to kill all of the Hoshidans who came into their territory! She'd kill them if it was the last thing she did!

Suddenly, in the midst of her rampage, she spotted him. The prince who'd killed her beloved, who'd slashed at him with his sword like it was nothing. He's the one who started all this! Her rage was focused solely on him now, she cared for nothing else than to bathe in that man's blood. "YOU! You did this! Everyone's dead because of you!" she shouted, getting his attention. "You're going to pay for everything you've done! I'm going to kill you right here and now!" She lunged forward, her claws outstretched to pierce his skin.

But he didn't feel her claws rip through him. His skin had changed somehow. She looked and saw the prince had changed from a human to a dragon. Had she not been consumed by anger she would've wondered how this happened, but she cared little for why he was a dragon and was more focused on killing him. It didn't matter if he was human or dragon! She'd kill him no matter what!

At least, that was her thought until she felt an arrow pierce her fur. She hadn't noticed the younger prince battling alongside her target.

She fell to the ground as she succumbed to the pain. She changed back, coughing up blood as she struggled to stand up. Her vision was no longer clouded by anger, but sorrow. She stared up at the princes, the younger one still aiming his yumi at her. "You should've just left..." she muttered, coughing up more blood. "Everything would've been better if you had just left us alone..." She attempted to stand, the will to fight no longer in her and Keaton's words finally coming to her, but a second arrow pierced her skull and knocked her back down to the ground.

"You're lucky I was here, otherwise you'd be dead by now." she heard the young prince say, their footsteps getting farther away.

She looked up, everything was hard to see with the blood and tears blurring her vision, but she managed to see him. Keaton's body was only a few feet away. Unable to stand up, she slowly dragged herself along the grass. "Keaton...you were right..." she whimpered. "I should've...gone back..." Pain coursed through her entire body. "But I'm not...gonna leave you... I don't...want to die alone..." She was so close, she could almost reach him. "I love you...Keaton... Please be waiting for me...on the other...si..."

Katrina collapsed, dying from the blood loss. Her hand laid mere inches from Keaton's.

The battle over, Corrin could only look at the two wolfskin with sadness. Perhaps had circumstances been different, he could've been friends with them. "I'm so sorry, I never meant for this to happen." he whispered, knowing that they couldn't hear him. He left with the Hosidan army, guilt in his heart, as the souls of the two lovers greeted each other in the afterlife.


End file.
